Article

The Question of the B.B.B.

"I would like to see Rich Froning put on fake boobs and go at it to see what he gets."

Photos courtesy of Greg Eyink

Moments after Open Workout 14.2 was released, Ashley Eyink’s implants became the center of attention.

Well, more than usual.

Her friends at CrossFit Crave said she would crush the second Open workout, a nasty couplet of overhead squats and chest-to-bar pull-ups. They joked that she had an artificial and unfair advantage. She argues, however, that bigger boobs don’t make for better scores.

“They’re in the way if anything,” she said. “It’s like telling someone who’s taller that wall balls are easier because you’re closer to the target. They still have to squat.”

Eyink said that after she started CrossFit, her butt grew and her boobs shrank. After she had a baby, she wasn’t willing to wait any longer.

“I’ve always had a booty,” she said. ”But it got to where I couldn’t even wear clothes right. I would put a tank top on and it would slide off.

Now, after completing 117 reps on 14.2, she says her decision to get implants had nothing to do with performance and that she isn’t trying to be a Games athlete.

“I CrossFit to look good,” she said. “I eat well and train hard and that’s all I need.”

CrossFit is even more challenging since the surgery, Eyink said. She can’t just throw caution to the wind when Director of the CrossFit Games Dave Castro says get your chest to the bar.

“The whole time I make sure I’m hitting at the same point,” she said. “It’s like a guy snatching with the wrong grip. He’s gonna know it’s wrong really quick.”

In fact, just to be safe, she says that her minimalist attire during 14.2 included a lined pink sports bra to go with her tight black shorts and Nanos.

“I’m afraid I’ll bust an implant,” she said with a laugh. “I know it’s unlikely, but I still can’t slam my chest on the bar.”

Since her surgery 15 months ago, she hasn’t made it a point to practice chest-to-bar pull-ups. After watching Talayna Fortunato coast to 320 reps, she was less than confident she’d put up a score she could be proud of.

“Usually my chest-to-bar pull-ups are not very good,” she said.

Seconds before the workout began, judge standing by, clipboard in hand and hip-hop playing in the background, she made a decision.

“I butterflied them all and I’ve never been able to butterfly them before,” she said.

Traditional kipping pull-ups are more aggressive and always left bruises, she said. The new strategy was a last minute effort to make her feel more confident.

The kipping chest-to-bar pull-ups placed the bar just below the collarbone and she believes the impact slowed her down. When she finally switched to butterfly chest-to-bar, she didn’t feel like anything was about to bust.

“It felt more comfortable that way,” she said. "I didn’t even feel like I was hitting my chest. It was like hitting my abs.”

It paid off until the skin on her left hand tore like a ribbon and her pace slowed during her first set of 12 pull-ups.

For Eyink, 14.2 forced her to confront a movement she typically avoids. A movement that for one reason—or two—she wasn’t fond of. Now that 14.2 is in the books, she can carry her Open lesson with her. But still, she maintains, chest-to-bar, or traditional, boobs don’t make pull-ups any easier.

“I would like to see Rich Froning put on fake boobs and go at it to see what he gets.”